Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Back in 1993 someone told then-Swiss President Adolf Ogi that a group photo could do wonders for the popularity of the ruling seven-member Federal Council, Switzerland’s equivalent of a cabinet. And since then the ruling seven plus the chancellor, who oversees the administrative side of the government, have lined up every year for a photo. The 2011 version has a special look: for the first time in Swiss history, there are more women as councillors than men.

The seven members of the council are elected for four years and the one-year job of president rotates among them. Micheline Calmy-Rey, Socialist, is the 2011 president of the Swiss Confederation.

Left to right: Johann Schneider-Ammann, Didier Burkhalter, Doris Leuthard, Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey, lEveline Widmer-Schlumpf (vice-president), Ueli Maurer, Simonetta Sommaruga, Chancellor Corina Casanova

Swiss Federal Council (cabinet), 2010

Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland’s cabinet, the seven-member Swiss Federal Council, which governs as a body of equals, has published its official photo for 2010. Left to right: Didier Burkhalter, the chancellor for the Swiss Confederation Corina Casanova, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, Ueli Maurer,  Micheline Calmy-Rey, Hans-Rudolf Merz, Swiss President Doris Leuthard, Vice-president Moritz Leuenberger. The presidency is a one-year rotating position, while the chancellor’s job is to oversee the smooth functioning of the administrative side of the government.

Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer, head of the Swiss Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport, DDPS, and the German ambassador to Bern, Axel Berg, signed a new treaty governing military service of dual-nationals from both countries. Dual-nationals are obliged to do their military service only in one country and can choose which country, although normally they will be expected to do so in their country of residence.

The treaty foresees that service requirements comprise actual military service or a military tax. Since Switzerland does not recognize civil defence service as a legal alternative to military service, completing this in Germany would not be recognized. Switzerland has treaties of this kind with France, Italy and Austria already.